Motor-vehicle driving mechanism.



J. P. SGHMIT. MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVING MBGHANISM. APPLIGATION FILED SEPT.9,1913.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

'nutren Astrains raannfr ernten JOHN P. SCHMIT, 0F LEWISTWN, MONTANA.

MOTOR-VEHICLE DRIVING' MECHANSM.

.To allwom it may concern.'

Be it known that il, JOHN P. ScHMrr, a citizen of the United States, residingat Lewistown, in the county of -lFergus .and State of Montana, have inventedI certain new and useful Improvementsy in Motor- Vehicle Driving Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. l

his invention relates to improvement in means for mounting the front wheels of Inotor vehicles in a relation that driving power may be transmitted thereto ,and also providel means by which the desired driving motion is accomplished as each of the front Wheels is connected to act as-a tractor.

An object of the invention is 4toprovide v an improved knuckle construction for the.

steering wheels whereby a drive will be axially imparted to these wheels thereby eliminating the provision of gears and other driving means carried by thewheels.

A further novel feature consists in providing a simple forniof drive transmis.- sion from the front axle tothe axle stud wherein the strains to which the knuckles are usually subjected Will be wholly imposed thereon leaving the Vknuckle drive free of any binding stresses. s

A further object is to provide an improved form of knuckle joint whereby the stud axle knuckle units may be incased so that the inclosed driving elements can run in oil.

Other features of. novelty andfconstruction will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and will be more particularlypointed out and ascertained inand by the appended claims.

In the drawings r-Figure 1l is a longitudinal vertical sectional'view to illustrate the structure of my invention. Fig. 2 is a. fragmentary top plan to better illustrate the mounting and connection of the steering mechanism in its disposition with respect to the structure of .the invention.

A front axle 2 vis provided to be mounted in any desired manner upon the vehicle and as the mounting and the specific construction of this axle2 do not form an essential part. of the present invention, such structure is'not included in the illustration in thedrawing and therein. i v A front or steering wheel drive shaft 18 carried by the front axle 2 and is preferin the description contained Specification of Letters Patent. l Application led September 9,

'said axle and the Patented Feb. i3, i215.. lala. serial No. reason ably axiallydisposedtherein and sleeved in a .bushing 19. The frontaxle 2 is provided `with upper intermediate and lower fork extensions 20, 2l and 2,2, there being a chamber 23`between` theinte'rmediate and lower forks 21 and 22 formed bya casing wall 24 whichextends inwardly and which may be secured in a manner to prevent egress of oil carried the-rein. The front axle is hung on thewheel knuckle which is provided with a fork' comprising forked arms 25 and 26,

disposed between the upper and intermediate forks 2,0 and 2l. A casing 2T incloses the forked end of the wheel knuckle so as to provide an oil chamber 28 therein.

.A knuckle shaft 29 extends downwardly through fork-ends 20, 2.5, 26 and 21 to pivot the Wheel knuckle to the shaft knuckle, and in the 'present construction, the knuckle shaft functions as a pivot shaft and is fixed tothe fork 20 by a pin 30 or other suitable means so as to be'immovablev rotatively and longitudinally. The wheel knuckle terminates in a stud axle sleeve.3l on which the hub 32 of the steering wheel is rotativcly mounted. Suitable anti-friction means-such as rollers 33 may be provided to perform their usual function. The wheelhub is non-rotatively connected with a stud axle 34 by engaging a polygonal portion 35 of hub is retained thereon by a nut 36.

I will now describe 'the drive transmission from shaft 18 to stud axle 34'.

In the present construction, I provide a. gear drive and on the shaft 18 a bevel gear 37 is fixed. Gear 37 meshes with a bevel gear 38 which is rotatable on knuckle shaft 29 and which is supported thereon by means such as a nut 39. The bevel wheel 38 is providedl with a clutch hub 40 which is freely rotatable in a bushing 41 disposed in the fork-ends 21 and 26. Wheel 38 drives a bevel Wheelfll which is provided Ywith a. clutch hub 4:2 jou-rnaled in bushing 4l. Hubs O and 4:2 are interlocked. as indicated at- 43 so as to be nonrotatably connected with each other during vtheir rotation on shaft 29. 'Drive is imparted from bevel wheel 41 to bevel Wheel 44 which is lixed to the stud axle 34. A suitable anti-friction bearing 45 may be provided for the inner end of axle 34.

lt will be s een that each set of gears operates in an independent oil chamber and that the oil 'chamber 28 is capable of rotation with the axle sleeve fork on shaft 29.

This arrangementinot only serves to inclose the parts, so as to provide a smoothand at` tractive exterior appearance, but it greatly simplifies the construction in transmitting drive from the axleshaft 18 to the stud axle 34.

Knuckle steering arms 46 are" connected with each other by a steering bar 47, which may,` be operated in any desirable manner.

The wheel hub construction shown comprises the hub sleeve 3'?. provided with a spoke flange 49 between which and a removable flange the spokes 51 are secured by `bolts '52.

1t will thus be seen from Fig. 1, that I have provided a knuckle construction in which the front axle has a chambered end together with a. fork disposed thereabove, the steering wheel supporting -stud member having a chambered end connected with the fork of the axle by a knuckle or pivot shaft. One set of gearing is disposed in the chambered end of the wheel member, while the other set of gearing is disposed in the chambered end of-the axle member, thus one set of gearing is separate from the other and one of the gears of one set is connected with one of the gears of the other set. By the provision of this double fork construction on the axle end, I am enabled to provide a knuckle construction of the most compact and eflicient form which provides for all of the advantages of steering with the front wheels combined with adrive therefor, without presenting any of the unsightly andy costly disadvantages resulting from complicated exterior constructions heretofore used. Furthermore,v` in my improved construction I may provide a fourtractor drive with differentials for front and rear wheels and each of the wheels mounted in accordance with my invention, the construction and the flexibility of steering action permitted then being such that the vehicle may be turned through a circle of such a relatively limited radius that one of the rear wheels will practically actas a center.

By reason of the disposition of the stud axle 34: in the axle Vsleeve 31, I greatly strengthen the wheel knuckle and at the same time provide an axially disposed connection with the wheels so as to impart drive thereto without the provision of any gears exterior to the wheel hub.

It is believed that the advantages and utilities of my invention will be clear from the foregoing, and while I have herein shown and described one specific form of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereto, except for such limitations as the claims may import.

1. In a motor vehicle driving mechanism an axle having a knuckle fork on the en thereof, a studv sleeve disposed in said fork, a stud axle in said sleeve, a wheel mounted on said sleeve and connected with said stud axle, a drive shaft mounted in said axle, gears connected with said stud axle and drive shaft, a knuckle shaft received through the fork of the' axle and the stud sleeve, gears mounted upon the knuckle shaftto transmit motion from the drive shaft to the stud axle, said knuckle shaft arranged in the fork and stud sleeve to form a bearing between the upper arm of the fork and blade, and a bushing received around said shaftl and mounted within the lower arm of the fork and said stud sleeve to form a bearing therebetween.

2. In a motor vehicle driving mechanism, an axlevhaving a knuckle fork on the end thereof, a stud sleeve disposed in said fork, a stud axle in said sleeve, a wheel mounted on the stud sleeve and connected with said axle, a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said axle, bevel gears connected with said stud axle and drive shaft, a'knuckle shaft received throughthe fork of the axleand bearing provided on the stud sleeve, a bushing received around .said knuckle shaft in a portion of the length thereof and spaced therefrom to take the bearing strain, a bevel gear received around the knuckle shaft and mounted within one end of said bushing, a second bevel gear mounted in a like manner in the oppositeend of said bushing, a clutch connection between said bevel gears within the bushing and all of said parts so ar- 1anged',that power motion is transmitted from the drive shaft to the stud axle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

` JOHN I. SCI-IMIT.

Witnesses:

HERBERT W. SADLER, RrcHAnD S. BAKER. 

